Assignment Belonging can be shaped in many ways. Discuss this in the texts you have studied. Response A sense of belonging can be impenetrable. Levels of acceptance or nonacceptance can vary as individuals move from one stage of their life to another. Sometimes it can be a complex process and it is not felt unless a number of segments come into play. Significant moments can happen and can create strong relationships, which often provide individuals with a strong sense of belonging. This is very true in Steven Herrick's free verse novel, "The Simple Gift," where we see Billy and Old Bill form a friendship and Billy and Caitlin form a romantic relationship. However, when significant moments are not experienced, rejection can happen as shown in R. Cobb's cartoon "State School No. 1812. Visual and Verbal techniques are brilliantly combined to form the setting of the school as a negative place instead of a positive institution for educating children. Notions of belonging are acquired by small actions and interactions between individuals, which allows for the individual to understand that they are cared for, wanted and included. Herrick gives a great example of this by the compassion of Billy towards Old Bill in their home at the old train. Simple acts of kindness such as giving him Dad's packet of cigarettes, a bowl of Weet-Bix and milk and tries to rebuild his life. We see this in Old Bill's negative dialogue "Every morning this week that bloody kid has woken me at 6:30 am with Weet-Bix and milk and the thought of another day cutting up pieces of overripe fruit...and I'm not drinking so much and I can't smoke in the Cannery. Bloody hell, this kid's going to turn me into a health freak! As Billy and Old Bill swim in the river and wash themselves and their clothes, Old Bill comments "I almost feel young again  proving that he has self-awakened into his self-respect and dignity. Towards the end, the framing device "I like that kid,"